CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, P.O. Box 780, Atherton, QLD 4883, Australia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2012;65(4-9):167-81. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.10.018. Epub 2011 Dec 9.
Degradation of coastal ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon, Australia, has been linked with increased land-based runoff of suspended solids, nutrients and pesticides since European settlement. This study estimated the increase in river loads for all 35 GBR basins, using the best available estimates of pre-European and current loads derived from catchment modelling and monitoring. The mean-annual load to the GBR lagoon for (i) total suspended solids has increased by 5.5 times to 17,000ktonnes/year, (ii) total nitrogen by 5.7 times to 80,000tonnes/year, (iii) total phosphorus by 8.9 times to 16,000tonnes/year, and (iv) PSII herbicides is 30,000kg/year. The increases in river loads differ across the 10 pollutants and 35 basins examined, reflecting differences in surface runoff, urbanisation, deforestation, agricultural practices, mining and retention by reservoirs. These estimates will facilitate target setting for water quality and desired ecosystem states, and enable prioritisation of critical sources for management.
自欧洲殖民以来，澳大利亚大堡礁（GBR）泻湖的沿海生态系统退化与陆基悬浮物、养分和农药径流增加有关。本研究使用从集水区建模和监测中得出的最佳可用欧洲殖民前和当前负荷估算，对所有 35 个 GBR 流域的河流负荷增加进行了估计。GBR 泻湖的年平均负荷为：（i）总悬浮物增加了 5.5 倍，达到 17000 吨/年；（ii）总氮增加了 5.7 倍，达到 80000 吨/年；（iii）总磷增加了 8.9 倍，达到 16000 吨/年；（iv）PSII 除草剂为 30000kg/年。在 10 种污染物和 35 个流域的检验中，河流负荷的增加情况有所不同，反映了地表径流、城市化、森林砍伐、农业实践、采矿和水库截留等方面的差异。这些估算将有助于为水质和期望的生态系统状态设定目标，并能够为管理确定关键污染源的优先级。
